Rider

In-Depth Explanation

A rider is an addendum to a live performance contract between an artist and a venue or promoter. While the main contract covers financial terms like the Guarantee or Door Split, the rider specifies all technical, logistical, and hospitality requirements the artist needs to perform the show. If the venue signs the contract, they are legally bound to fulfill every item in the rider.

How a Rider Works

A professional touring rider is split into two sections: Technical and Hospitality. Both are legally binding once the contract is signed.

1. The Technical Rider (Tech Rider)

This is the document the venue's production staff uses to prepare for the show. It details exactly what audio and lighting equipment the artist is bringing and what the venue must provide.

• Input List: A spreadsheet listing every microphone, direct box (DI), and instrument that needs to be plugged into the mixing board, numbered by channel.
• Stage Plot: A visual map showing where every musician, amplifier, and monitor speaker should be placed on stage.
• Backline Requirements: If the artist is flying in and cannot bring heavy equipment, the rider specifies exactly what the promoter must rent (e.g., "One Ampeg SVT Classic Bass Amp, One DW 8x10 Cabinet").
• Monitor Requirements: Specifies whether the band uses floor wedges or in-ear monitors (IEMs), and how many separate mixes they require.

2. The Hospitality Rider

This section covers how the artist will be treated off-stage. Standard items include:

• Dressing Room: Number of rooms needed, mirrors, towels, and security.
• Catering: Dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten-free), meal buyout amounts if the venue prefers to give the band cash instead of cooking, and specific snacks and beverages for the dressing room.
• Lodging and Travel: If the promoter is responsible for booking hotel rooms, the rider specifies the minimum star rating and number of rooms.

Real-World Example

An independent band books a 200-capacity club for a Friday night show. The performance contract guarantees $500 plus 70% of door revenue after expenses. The rider attached to that contract specifies:

• Technical: Two vocal microphones (SM58), one drum microphone kit, one bass DI, two guitar amps (provided by the band), one keyboard DI, three monitor mixes, and a stage plot showing the drummer stage left, bassist center, guitarist stage right.
• Hospitality: One dressing room with mirrors and towels, six bottled waters, six drink tickets for the bar, and one hot meal for four people (no shellfish allergy).

The venue receives this rider a week before the show. Their sound engineer confirms the input list and prepares the monitor mixes. If the venue fails to provide the agreed microphone kit, the band can legally refuse to play and still demand their full guarantee.

The Van Halen Brown M&M Story

The most famous rider story involves Van Halen in the 1980s. Their rider included a clause demanding a bowl of M&Ms in the dressing room with a strict warning: "ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN M&MS."

The public viewed this as diva behavior. Lead singer David Lee Roth later explained it was a safety test. Van Halen toured with a massive, complex stage production that required significant electrical and structural capacity. If they arrived at a new arena and found brown M&Ms in the dressing room, they knew the promoter had not read the contract carefully. If the promoter ignored the M&M clause, they likely also ignored the structural weight limits for the lighting rig, meaning the stage could be unsafe. The brown M&M was a canary in the coal mine.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are an independent artist booking a regional tour, you must have a technical rider, but you should keep your hospitality rider modest.

• Tech Rider: Keep your stage plot and input list perfectly accurate and up to date. Send it to the venue's sound engineer at least one week before the show. This ensures your Sound Check will be fast and stress-free.
• Hospitality Rider: If you are playing a 200-capacity club for a $300 guarantee, demanding expensive whiskey and a charcuterie board will make the promoter laugh and ensure you are never booked there again. Ask for a case of bottled water and a few drink tickets. As your draw and guarantee grow, your hospitality rider can grow with it.

For a complete walkthrough of booking your first shows, read our guide on how to book your first tour and our touring internationally as an independent artist resource. Use our Tour Revenue Calculator to estimate whether a given show is financially viable.

Related Terms

• Guarantee
• Door Split
• Sound Check
• Tour Support
• Tour Revenue Calculator

For a comprehensive guide to creating artist riders, see Stagent's complete rider guide.